NOTE: If you’re interested in this topic please consider answering one of the 5 questions (via comment)  I’ve asked at the end of this article. (Thanks!)

So far the 2012 Presidential Election campaign fundraising efforts have brought in over $280,000,000 dollars for their prospective candidates with Democrats currently at 125.2 million and republicans at 155 million, and it’s only February.  It would seem their is an obvious affect on small business owners that are in any way connected to the big media outlets as much of this cash is spent on running those dirty little annoying ads we’ll be seeing the rest of the year.  I get a kick sometimes (especially) in the last decade when I reflect on the “issues” of the election and what then transpires.

Either the establishment assumes most of us are unaware of what the President and their policies can actually do or it doesn’t matter and things that need to get said to win get said.  I don’t know about you but I don’t really see the 2012 Presidential election affecting me a whole lot as a small business owner. I’m not in a terribly high income bracket and so the “threat” of raising taxes on the wealthy doesn’t spook me a whole lot and I doubt it will happen anyway.  I do have personal political type beliefs and most of my views of politics come from a business standpoint, I understand most things that way.  Do you re-frame your dealings and relationships along with decision making into common sense business philosophy?  What are some simple ways you see the 2012 Presidential election affecting your small business?

I’m a critical thinker but like to use that skill to arrive at a simple, clear and easy to follow philosophy so I can move on and think about other things.  I’m working on a couple newer businesses this year and one of those is in food and agriculture.   I like the agriculture industry right now and here in Michigan there is a strong interest in the buy local movement and also in eating better.  I’ve started a vegetable farm and a few years back started a farm market with fruit and produce locally grown here in Michigan. I think food and agriculture will be good for about 7 to 10 years but I can see big problems coming for the industry but suspect it will be a state by state thing at first.

Regulations and Policy Changes Do Affects Small Business Owners

Elections do impact business mostly via regulations and perspectives and priorities.  Most of the things concerning me and my businesses were create years back and they are still being positioned to control and monopolize the market place, it looks a lot like the same strategies used in what created the housing crises.  One of places I go for insight is the Bureau of Labor Statistics and get a general feel for what the next 5 to 10 years will look like.  There is a Mammoth on the horizon in terms of growth and it is health care and anything related.  The baby boomers have creating booming industries proportionally to their population number and age.  Gerber was born when they were eating baby food and Nike when they were buying shoes and shoes for their kids.  You’ll see continue to see health care as a major political issue, I’m not sure if it’s because of all the cash associated with it or the fears surrounding the impact on our country or economy.  If you have a small business in the health care industry I do think the next ten years will be much different than the last, but there will be no bigger industry, nothing even close.

I have my online business and then a couple off line traditional businesses and both can be affected by policy and regulation.  I’ve seen some regulation already affecting affiliate sales that comes from the FTC but it hasn’t affected me personally at all.  I do believe we will began to see widespread taxation and regulation on the Internet as it becomes more of an economic impact.

What Really Affects Local Small Businesses

Overall I’d say the general uncertainty people have when things aren’t going well really affects us small business owners the most.  Where I live people traveling makes up a big share of the local business revenue.  Not so much tourists, but state residents moving about the state.  When gas prices go way up this slows way down and it is very apparent at the farm market which is right by a state highway.  Over the upcoming year I will continue to look for ways to isolate my businesses from what I’ve already seen can have a negative impact.  It seems our communities and businesses are so incredibly diverse that local micro economies are what really affect our small businesses.

As small business owners there are always things we can do and must do to roll with the punches. One of the perspectives I have is that if we are going to elect the Democrat again we will likely not see another republican for possibly decades due to obvious policy correlations with voter base.  While I personally don’t like this (mainly because it seems like calculated manipulation over time) it does no good to blame people and whine about it.  I’ll stick to running my kingdom and do what I need to position my small business as best I can.

Safe Small Businesses To Start

If I were starting a business in heavily populated area I would consider targeted health care workers, teachers, college students, police officers and anyone else who gets a check from the government or from an institution that is funded by the government. I think these are the safest businesses to start or create a niche marketing campaign that speaks to these people.   One of the things I plan to do at the market is accept project fresh cards and carry products so I can accept EBT cards which are welfare programs here in Michigan. I always was proud of not doing that and offering free or greatly discounted food to those who needed it but I loose more customers every year because of it.  As an aside I recommend looking into growing your own food or having a local farmer grow it for you.  The food supply in this country is vulnerable in several ways food pricing being the least disconcerting.  Most people don’t thing about food and how it winds up on your table a lot goes into it and the supply chain if vulnerable.  One example is gas prices, $5.00 per gallon gasoline could drive food up considerable (30%) like it did over the last few years.  It never seems to go back down when fuel prices stop.  These are some of the real issues that affect small business owner and of course each business is different.

Its important to stay focused and keep an optimistic attitude that looks for the opportunity that surrounds us.  Times of change bring great opportunity.  As some businesses and industries dry up others flourish so look for ways you can make your business more relevant to the consumers of today.  Many entrepreneurs I know (including myself) have turned to diversifying there scope or start other businesses altogether.  I did that several years back and I’m glad I did.

How Will The Presidential Election Affect Your Small Business in 2012

1. What are some of the ways you see the 2012 Presidential Election impacting your small business?
2. Have you, in the past, notice significant changes in your business as a direct result of a policy or election that put a different President in office?
3. What is the best time you can remember in terms of business growth?
4. Do you feel that time of growth was due to your industry or politics?
5. What do you feel the best business to start is for 2012?

Thank you for reading, if you liked this article consider sharing if via Face Book or Twitter or you could subscribe to my RSS feed at the top and leave a comment.  Thank You.

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Smalll business opportunities are out there in 2011.  You may not be hearing a whole lot about that in the media, I know I don’t, but if you go looking for stories on successful small business start ups you wont have any trouble finding them in small communities throughout the U.S. in 2011.  Many of the best small businesses in 2011 are pratical business start ups you’ll find in many small communities nearby.

With more and more people searching the Internet for information, products and services in 2011 you can bet many of the successful start-ups are Internet related.  Small business owners who are in more traditional fields like real estate, retail, and service type businesses are actively seeking ways to improve their business by going online with their offerings.  I think one of the best small businesses to start this year is one that assists people in doing this well.  There is a lot of money to be made and successful businesses to be built just in this one field alone.

If your a web savvy person or you know design websites or do Internet marketing you might consider starting a business in the field in 2011.  It’s likely the small communites around you could benifit from a service type business that helps entrepreneurs improve and grow their businesses over the upcomming years.

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Successful small business owners across the nation have been streamlining, cutting costs and implementing new strategies to improve their bottom line. Strategies from outsourcing to adding or eliminating product and service offerings have played a big part in turning small or mid-size businesses to operate in the most effective manner, so they’ll be positioned to grow when the market swings back.

Many successful small business owners and managers are also finding creative ways to improve on how they handle everyday office tasks. The right technology can often play a big part in eliminating unproductive time and saving money. For processing mail, many business owners turn to postage meters like the mailstation2™ from Pitney Bowes to get the job done faster and easier. And now you can, too.

With the mailstation2™ you can quickly take care of your mail from the convenience of your own office. No more trips to the Post Office™ for stamps, no more wasting your lunch hour wishing the guy in line in front of you would hurry along. You’ll also save some cash while you’re at it—the mailstation2™ meters the exact postage needed and not one cent more.

What’s more, the mailstation2™ makes it easy for you to strengthen your relationships with your most loyal customers by sending them promotional mailings, holiday cards and more. And that can have a positive effect on your bottom line.

Pitney Bowes knows smart small business owners want a real solution that works for them, and is both efficient and effective. So go ahead and try out the mailstation2™ before you decide on anything.

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Free SBA Resources and The Best Resources From The Web

In this post I’m listing some of the best small business start up guides and online success resources that you will find online. These are small biz resources that I refer to myself and millions of entrepreneurs across the United States do as well.  

You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny. Psalm 73:24 

Building a successful home business has an element of science to it and like science, the most profitable small business entrepreneurs rely on lessons learned from those that have gone before them.  New business ideas, or online business ideas are only a decade old for the most part, but much has been retained in the way of “what works” and “what doesn’t”.  I don’t waste time, and neither should you, staying current with what everyone is doing now, but some principles, processes and tools will remain a complete and crucial necessity to starting and maintaining a successful small business enterprise. Here are a few places to start: 

Business Planning

You can enroll in a business planning course offered by the sba It cost nothing and this link takes you directly to the enroll sheet. 

If you know, or have an idea of what a business plan is all about, you might want an outline for writing one, here is a how to write  a business plan guide also from the SBA. 

Navarro College offers a great resource as well with a variety of valuable links to assist you in the planning phase and getting started. 

If you like it fast and simple, like me, then here is a simple business plan outline. That breaks it down in terms like this: This is what you need in your business plan, itsa clear business plan outline. 

Free SBA Small Buisness Video on Small Business Start Up Success. 

Those are the business planning resources, the only ones you will need to actually put together a business plan. Now for my two cents: 

I don’t have a business plan. I mean not one like you can research above. My plan is to add value and make money. Turns out that’s a law of business. Another law is you’ll make a little less than the value you add, so always be adding more value. I’m not sure if you can find these laws in a book, but they are so, I know, I have knowledge. Knowledge is when you actually do something. You never know it like when you do it, know what I mean. So make sure you get that, and put it in your plan.  A formal business plan is important, I’m not saying it isn’t.  If you intend to attract start up capital, you will need a business plan. That brings us to the next group of the best small business resources I’ve found on finance and getting start up capital for your small business. 

Small Business Financing

A good place to start for financing information and where to look is another SBA destination, apparently the have the resources to put all these wonderful sites together, you know where they get those don’t you? We will get into taxes later. 

If you plan on applying for a business loan you’ll need a few things and I’ve found a handy checklist for applying for a small business loan, check it out. 

Depending on you and your business venture you may qualify for special types of small business loans via the SBA, go find out at their small business loan search.

SBA Small Business Loans Video 
 

The largest 20 banks, which now command 57 percent of all bank assets, devote only 18 percent of their commercial loan portfolios to small business. The Huffington Post.  This means Its a real bugger getting cash for a start up. If your going to start a business because you decided to start a business and the SBA won’t be one of your stops for small business financing then consider some lessons I’ve learned: 

Home based business ideas require much less start up capital and the low overhead alone can be an instant “lifestyle creator”.  Keep your money in your pocket, consider starting a home based business. Is it possible in the industry you wish to start up in? 

Best Home Based Business Ideas To Start In 2010 and Beyond

Many home business ideasare simply websites that earn a profit. These home business profit centers can be on just about any relevant topic. I’ve written a short post on the steps to starting a succesful home business, this is actually a personal story of my own.  Some of the best business ideas for the next few years will be: 

• Green Business Ideas
• Sustainable Business Ideas
• Home Based Service Business Ideas
• Consulting Business Ideas
• Organic Food Business Ideas
• Small Business Internet Consulting
• Preventative Care Type Business Ideas
• Professional and Life Coaching
• Online Security Business Ideas
• Personal Development Business Ideas

Looking to your personal likes, dislikes, and personal assets is great place to start when looking to find a work at home based business.  There are many creative financing options for a small business start ups. People to often excuse the idea of starting a small business because they don’t have the cash. Like I said, there are many ways to finance a business start up.  The first is Cash Flow.  Many, maybe even most, service businesses can be financed with your customers money. There may be equipment and supply requirements for your start up and those will have to be met. Talking with local vendors, maybe even rental companies is a great way to meet certain needs without taking on debt. Get a good, a real good, cash flow model and add profitability later, it works. 

Successful Small Business Marketing

One stop along your quest for quality marketing information has to be Duct Tape Marketing, Its a website online, they offer great stuff. Seems everywhere I go someone is talking about them. It’s worth the stop. 

The good old SBA offers an online marketing and advertising course, I’m pretty sure its free, well sort of, it won’t cost a dime to take it, but they will get their money later when you make a buck, know what I mean? 

I thought this was another great resource in simple terms on what marketing is, why it is important, and what it can do for your business, give it a look. Another blog I read, every post, is Seth Godins Marketing Blog. 

Advertising and marketing is important and I think it is also one thing most first time entrepreneurs get way wrong. I’m not pretending to be a small business marketing expert, because I’m not, but the Internet is cost effective way to learn good marketing. The best place to advertise a home business online , for example, is where people go who are looking to start a home business. Online this is much easier than guessing or just putting up cards at coffee shops. There are obvious places people check out when evaluating the best business to start. 

Other Small Business Start Up Ideas

There are many other “incidentals” to starting a business like registering you business name. This can be a very simple undertaking depending on the business you start. 

Ever think one place was better than another to start a small business. By this I mean start up friendly states, no so much “location is everthing”. Here a great post on the best places to start a small business.

Here is a planning checklist for licesing your small business so your all legal beagle. 

One thing worth mentioning at this point is that many small business ideas, home based business ideas included, never really go anywhere. One thing I’ve done since I first started in business in my early twenties is to not get all worked up in the planning phase.  To me it doesn’t make a lot of sense to register a business name and do all the planning and such if the idea is just not accepted by the market place.  I’d recommend working at the business for a set period of time and determine whether or not your business idea is what you thought it would be. You business is going to be changing all the time anyway, and thinking your plan is your ticket to success is the primary reason most small businessstart ups fail in my opinion. Steve pavlina wrote a great article on this. He also wrote a good article on mistakes self employed people make, give it a read. 

If you appreciate these resources or have others you feel should be added to the list, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. 

Thanks for visiting and stop back for updates to this post. 

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It's Not So Complicated Now Is It?

I love encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit, especially in aspiring business owners.  I thought I’d share my ideas on why the best small businesses to start are often home based.  Many, maybe most, people who are looking to start  a small business are in an employee situation, they got a job.  This brings us to the first reason that home based business ideas are tops on the small business start up list.

The cool thing about a job is that the hours you spend there are often set and scheduling time to work on your home business is really just a decision in discipline.  Starting  small businesses is no easy undertaking and a significant amount of time will usually be required, especially in the start  up phase.  If your crunched for time and you might think of  a business idea that only requires a few hours a week.  Blogging comes to mind as one idea. If your a writer you could start a web publishing business and publish articles to make money from home on your computer.  Earning several thousand dollars a month with a simple home business is nothing to scoff at,  the business model is so much more efficient that half the revenue can generate the same profits as a traditional brick and mortar business.

Most successful small businesses were made that way by someone, like you, being willing to put forth the required effort to get the business off the ground.  Starting a home based small business is a great way to capitalize on any free time you might have and its also a great way to make your money go farther.  We have two resources, time and money, and this is why the best small businesses to start are ones utilizing a home based business model. 

Think of the travel time to and from your retail or office space you may lease.  Think of all the times you only have 45 minutes or an hour so you decide not to go in.  Think of all the late night ideas that could really make your business more successful.  You’d be missing out on these opportunities if you weren’t home based not to mention the costs associated with renting or buying a building to operate from.

Granted not all small businesses can be run from home but many that aren’t could be, could yours?

I have a nephew living in Colorado who started a small business from home making knitted hats that are real popular with the snowboard crowd out there.  If he were tying to pay a monthly lease to have space to knit these hats there is no way he could do it.

Some of the best small businesses to start from home include:

• Consulting
• Web Design
• Search Engine Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization
• Web Publishing
• Blogging
• Creating Information Products
• Editing
• Creating Web Content
• Small Service Type Businesses
• Direct Sales Business Opportunities
• Network and Affiliate Marketing

All of these business ideas can be successful small businesses that operate best right from your home office.  Know of a few more to add to the list? I’m not saying home based businesses are easy businesses to start, I just think they are a more practical business start up for many people and for obvious reasons.

I think a ton of people have grand plans to start the ultimate business ”one day”, problem is, one day never comes.  Ask yourself, ” What could I do today to get this business started”.  Many of use the lack of capital as the number one reason not to start a small business.  Creative financing for small business abounds, and many solid home business ideas can be started with very little start up capital.

When it comes right down to it most successful small businesses could be started from home and started in a way that capitalizes on natural growth instead of wasted dollars, hours and head aches trying to pay the bills.

I’ve created a few different income streams online from my home office, none of which really have any overhead to speak of.  I don’t have any employees and no bills that I wouldn’t have otherwise.  The other nice thing about starting a home based business is that it is often times scalable.  In order to make more money you can hire an employee, or better yet outsource it to a like minded individual who wants to work from home.

Share with us your experience on starting a small business.  What are some of the best small businesses that can be started from home that you have come across in your entrepreneurial journey?

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Starting a home based business is a good idea for lots of reasons, that said, its not for everyone.   I was talking with a friend earlier today and I thought it would be a smart idea to write a post on the the top reasons to start a home based business.

These are three reasons that are great reasons to start a business from home for anyone.

Tax advantages.

Making money

Use otherwise unproductive time.

The tax advantages of starting a home based business vary, you should consult your tax attorney or at least accountant to get the final word. I’m no accountant, but have worked with accountants for years and owning your own business has advantages.  Starting a business for the tax advantages alone makes sense for some people.

My friend is a single male in his mid thirties who makes around 85k per year. He sold his condo last year and really has no good write offs or exemptions. He pays around 20k per year in income tax most of which is taken out of his teaching salary paycheck.

He started a business from home of sorts. He is a subcontractor really receiving income via 1099 for serving court orders to people…Fun, fun!

This year he will have many more write offs than last and therefore will “maybe” get a refund!

Things like mileage, home office exemption, car payments, expenses on the road, personal computer, phone, and more can all be written off this year. 

Big advantage as it lowers his net income and thus his tax responsibility.

Making money is another great reason for starting a home business.  Many home based business ideas don’t cost much at all to start and many can be started with no initial capital at all!  My experience shows that when I just start something, I can find a way to make money with it.  Having more than one stream of income is a really smart strategy for personal finance.

Statistics say the average American watches like 4.5 hours of TV per day!  Get off the couch and start a small business from home.  Its much more fulfilling than you might think. Home based business ideas can be successful with much less than the same amount of time spent, trust me.

Why Start a Home Based Business?

The bottom line, and I’m speaking to the  employee who feels underpaid, unfulfilled and under appreciated, you can out earn the average job ($34k yr) if you start a business today and continue to persist and learn for the next three years. And if you do it right, you’ll get paid whether you go to work or not. A solid blog network for instance, while requiring a significant amount of time and work to start up, can be manages in well under 10 hours per week and can really bring in cash in a profitable niche.

Any Comments?

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What comes to mind when you try and think of the best small business to start in 2010?  To think of the best small business I’d say most of us would  look around our community and would find something missing or a business that could be improved, maybe even a business that is no longer around.  For a beginner, a person who is first time entrepreneur, choosing the best small business to start is probably going to start with what your doing now or something peripheral.

I recently wrote a post about the 5 factors important for choosing the best business to start for 2011 business ideas I invite you to give that page a read as well.

I make a full-time income online with a small network of websites I own. To many it wouldn’t seem like a business at all. I don’t have employees, expenses, or headaches…. all things commonly associated with owning  a small business.  It took me a couple years to generate a significant income… It can be done much faster though. If your a beginner looking to create an online income, I recommend checking out the article I wrote titled, “Top Online Business for  Beginners” ,it list three specific paths to creating a passive income that are uniquely designed for a novice.

Some of the best small business ideas are so simple it makes people wonder how they ever work and others that make millions you probably don’t even realise are out there. Focusing on serving an end customer is key.

Thousands ( because I’m too lazy to look it up) of businesses are started every year by technicians who know how to “do it” and figure they can do it better than the chump they are working for.  One of the best small business coaches, Micheal Gerber, calls this the “E-myth” and refers to an “entrepreneurial moment” as the actually realisation that you could indeed deliver better service or deliver a better product faster than the company you work for.

For example if your a drywall finisher and an employee, it would make sense that starting your own drywall business is logical.  Indeed this is one of the most popular paths to first time entrepreneurship.

Is the business that makes the most logical sense the best small business for a beginner to start?

Probably not….

The answer didn’t set well with me when I first learned of the idea that just because your a great drywall finisher doesn’t mean your a great entrepreneur. But what did I know.

Ten or fifteen years later it all makes sense. I was in my early twenties then and nothing made sense to me unless I did it.  My sole decision making process relied on my “knowledge”.  I only knew it if I did it.  When you know something, you have knowledge of it and the best way to get it, maybe the only way, is to do it.  I’ve since learned that knowledge is expensive, especially if its my own.

Tip: The next best thing to personal knowledge….Someone Else’s!

The Best Small Businesses

All of the best small business ideas, the successful business start ups, have several things in common. I don’t pretend to be a trend spotter, cause I’m not, but studying small business start ups and entrepreneurs for the last 15 years has shown me some things. I’ve learned to stick with businesses that I’m genuine interested in. I like fresh produce and spreading the idea that eating good food is important, most of us eat garbage! So I’m developing a group of produce markets. I also like the game of making money. I love my Internet business and making money online is really fun. I like passive income but hate the idea of rentals. My parents had rentals I helped with growing up and I just don’t like the rental business. I’d say on of the best businesses to start for  a beginner is Affiliate Marketing.

Working with others who have success and knowledge/experience in areas you may not is the smart way to go about  starting a business. Money magazine says that online catalogs or stores is a booming business. I wouldn’t know where to start when it comes to that so I’d find someone who does.

Its kind of like reading books on wealth creation, success, and leadership.

Did you ever notice, after the 15th business book or so, they kind of all say the same thing?  I call those same things “principles”. They are old but not rusty because they are used everyday by millions of successful entrepreneur, parents, and professionals around the world.

So what are some of the recurring themes of the best small business enterprises today?

• Scalability.
• Ease of Innovation.
• Accessible Target Market.
• Likelihood of a loyal following.
• Relevant.

I’ll add minimal downside to the list because that is a huge factor when we are talking about a first time entrepreneur starting a small business, more about that in minute.

Scalability, simply put, is will it work in the beginning AND when you’ve hit it right on and the business screams GROW!  This is a big deal when you are choosing the best small business and how you intend to start and grow the business.

Example: If you wanted to develop a blog network and you just started a couple wordpress blogs, making nice posts like this one, its great, but it ain’t scalable.  Unless of course you had a plan to build a platform that would launch a more scalable business idea like a crowd sourced content creation strategy.

Example: Starting a nation wide fast food chain by building a restaurant down the block isn’t scalable, however developing a franchise business model to accomplish this (in one life time) is…. i.e, MacDonald’s.

Ease of Innovation, used to be “innovative”.  An innovative small business idea doesn’t cut anymore. Its not about how innovative a small business idea is, its about how fast you can innovate within the small business you create.  I see it like you have to have a tight niche target market that is loyal, because you rock, yet you have about a dozen different ways you can go to keep the market, grow the market, or increase spend from the same market you have. How easy is to offer something different, how fast can “what’s next, be next”

Example: Walmart (not the expert here) started with stuff.  They sold a bunch of other people’s stuff.  It was about distribution. They had a great business idea and developed the best distribution model. They didn’t make a thing…Except CASH.  Fast forward 20 years and now Walmart offers eye care, hair styling, banking, shoe repair, automobile service, and on and on.  They basically started to distribute service the same way the did products. I think that sums up what I intend to explain when I say ease of innovation and how the best small business is the one that can grow many different directions without loosing you current loyal following.

Accessible target marketis sort of a no brainer, but think about it. Not every business start upis going to be profitable especially if it is geographically challenged.  If your small business start up is going to rely on a target market that is spread across the world, how will you reach them? Can you reach them via the web? If so, how will or how can, you develop a loyal following.  Where do they congregate now?

Example: Where I live we have a farmers market, you probably have one too.  The surrounding communities and local governments worked to provide a place for farmers markets. Its great for farmers who bring their produce and handmade crafts on a Saturday morning and great for the people who need the items.  It was a way to make the market accessible to the farmers and the customers, saving both time and money. Not bad!

The last two items on the list go hand in hand.  If you have a relevent business idea, it should be likely a loyal following could be developed. I think the ease at which this happens is a crucial point when deciding what the best small business to start is in your community.

What’s the Best Business to Start in 2012?

The best small business to start in 2011 is no different than the hot business start ups of a decade ago in principle.  The products the business offers or the services rendered will change, and man do they ever, but the best small businesses are solving apparent and relevant problems, making someones Else’s life easier, or entertaining someone who is.

What are your thoughts on starting a business in 2010, any tips?

Oh I almost forgot. Downside.  I read a neat article the other day that talked about downside I think it was on www.quicksprout.com The point Neil made was that no downside is a hell of a lot more important to the person who is starting a business for the first time that a huge upside.  It follows “don’t put all your eggs in one basket”.  If you only have a couple sources of income it probably isn’t best to chase down a small business idea because of a huge upside, it will involve risk. Risk that could take you out of the game.  Partnerships, timing, and creative business development are all ways to minimise downside on large upside business start up. Think about it!

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Not Every Good Idea Is Obvious Before You Start

Thinking complicates so many things when it comes to ideas.  This is a short summary to help you determine the best small business ideas to implement with a website. If your a small business owner right now, you are leaving cash on the table if you are not developing Internet based small business revenue. How’s that sit with you?

If your an entrepreneur at heart you have to be interested in the Internet and what it means to your business or better yet, new business ideas.

One thing, in my mind, qualifies a good small business model for a website.  I’m not pretending there aren’t a number of factors that need to be spot on for success, but this one thing is a great starting point for determining the best small business idea that YOU can implement with a website.  My top qualifier comes as a question:

Can you Ship it?

Info products aside, as they seem to be loosing popularity unless they are very niche focused, shippable products are all on the table when it comes to figuring out the best avenue to start a small business idea for a website.

Do websites scare you? Remember when you were deciding whether to rent or build an office?  Is it like that for you?

I remember making that decision.  I choose to lease an office and some warehouse space for business I started in my early twenties. I was scared, but I did it and it really set things in motion.  Employees responded differently, clients and the small business community also responded differently. Can you relate?

A small business website is a lot the same.  Most successful small businesses have at least one product or service that is ripe for an Internet harvest. What is yours?  I think the best small businesses to start are ones that will compliment an already proven small business income stream or strategy and many times this can happen as an online “arm” of your current business. Online business ideas are carry much less baggage in the way of risk too, but the risk was much more apparent…. Kinda like airplanes “seem” risky, but your car is off the charts when you look at the % of fatalities compared to (whatever)… you know what I mean.

Best Small Business Idea for a Website:

I think one of the best small business ideas is low margin high volume. Maybe not THE best, but one of them. First off, low margins or low profit small business ideas take the target off you back and make ambitious entrepreneurs like me think twice about throwing my hat in the ring.

Most profitable small business concepts that use the high volume – low margin business model need two things:

1. Low overhead.
2. Large geographical market area.

If that doesn’t make you think Internet, nothing will. This is precisely what Internet business ideas offer.  If you could have a store in every state that sold a particular product at a lower cost that any other would you do it? What if you could have a storefront in every state without one building?  I’d challenge that fifty web pages optimised geographically for each state would return better profits for many products or services than a brick and mortar store front anyway.  I’ve used several website builders or, platforms, as they are called and have found on of the best do it yourself website solutions to be the one I use here, its called WordPress.

So in conclusion:  What does your small business do best?  Could you make that happen online with a small business website?  What would that do for your business? What other Internet based small business ideas could you implement this year to increase profits and add value to you customer base?

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Seems we get a lot of readers who are looking for profitable home based business ideas or at home income opportunities.  After a while ridiculous income claims get to even the most brazen skeptics, no?  I’ve talked before about how the income claims COULD be true, in brief I explained how affiliate marketers can create products, get 50-100 affiliate partners, then launch a product.  Keep in mind these launches sometimes take six months or longer.

Another avenue that can support such income claims would be direct sales.  More specifically a profitable direct sales business model that has a passive element in addition to higher profit, in demand, quality products.

There are a few such profitable business ideas on the Internet today, I’ve personally worked with one and have researched half a dozen others.  In some ways it is much like affiliate marketing, and network marketing combined.  Basically your paid upfront profits at the point of sale, which is cool, and then your also compensated in some way by building  a successful sales team.

The key to spotting a profitable direct sales opportunity and choosing the best home based business is to look at:

• The entrepreneurs/sales pros currently engaged in the business.
• The marketing system- How leads are generated and how the product is sold.
• The products- Are there back end products that make sense both from a business perspective and a consumer perspective.
• Longevity of the product line OR ease of innovation of the product line.
• How you are paid- Paid directly? By a company?
• How products are handled- Do you have to handle product?

I think these are important points to look at when choosing the best home business opportunity in direct sales. Can you think of more?

Another point that bears mentioning is the home business mentor that you choose to work with when you throw your hat in.  It takes an entrepreneur to have a successful home business and in the direct sales industry you need to mentor others as a good share of the compensation will come from the sales force you build.

I’ve been researching a personal development home business for the past six months. It looks to have everything in place, its been going strong for a few years and it looks to have the elements required for long term success.  If you would like to evaluate that business, fill out the contact form on this site, its probably in the side bar.

You’ll notice I mention that I generated over 20 thousand dollars in income the first thirty days of a business opportunity, its true, I did.  Because of the compensation plan, they way things worked so to speak, my “advisor” or the person who helped be get started received all the Cash. So I learned two things:

1. There is Money to be Made.
2. Be an Advisor.

Another thing I learned which is the real take away from the whole experience, is that if a business model would have caused Me to be paid on that income, in the beginning, It would have made for a more profitable business.  More people who get started would stick around long enough to get through the learning curve… People start businesses to make money, not make someone else money, know what I mean?

Again, for what its worth, top tier direct sales business models, the 100k plus home business ads you see, are out there….

Home Business Idea for 2010

To learn more about the business I may use as another Income stream for Create Liberty Ent. (This Website) fill out the contact form and I’ll show you what I’ve found and why I think its a good bet for a 2010 home business.

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This is a great video on entrepreneurship and why entrepreneurial business ideas are important.  It hits a great point on creating socially responsible  and sustainable components to make the world a better place to live.

I agree with the point that is made about a major difference being effident between self employment and being an entrepreneur.  I look at it this way: If you have to get up tomorrow and do it again, your self employed. If you die tomorrow and your enterprise continues to add value to its contributors lives and the lives of those who come in contact with it, its entrepreneurial.

Entrepreneurs drive change in the world we live in. Not all business owners, and we can all name a few, are entrepreneurs.  I’ve always known its not all about making money, but have difficulty explaining why I love implementing entrepreneurial ideas as much as I do. 

I think it comes down to impact.  When I was little I used to spin the back tire on my bike and look back to see the mark, entrepreneurialism is like that, its making a mark. Nurturing entrepreneurialism isn’t a sales job its about providing transparent communication to people young and old alike about what is possible. Being exposed to the idea that you could change the world and create a business that solves a social problem you loathe needs to happen intentionally and consistently starting at a young age… (in my opinion)

Even micro business concepts have added value in the marketplace and improved the lives of millions. From low cost start ups to huge transportation business ventures entrepreneurs are changing the world and changing it in the way the people desire.

Video on Entrepreneurialism

Starting a business can take on new meaning after viewing it from another perspective can’t it? Home based business ideas a fast, relatively inexpensive to start, and can earn big money quick, but looking at the overall or long term impact on the community is vitally important as well.

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